Radiation for mutation
 

Hello, I am a researcher for National Geographic and I am looking to interview somebody who has attempted to irradiate orchids or orchid seeds in order to induce mutations. Has anybody here done this?

Chemical treatment to try to induce seedling upshifts to 4N is fairly common. I have not heard of anyone using irradiation.

While there are some commercial growers in this forum, most members are hobby growers. Your question is better addressed directly to some of the larger hybridizers.

You can try:
Fred Clarke at Sunset Valley Orchids, CA
Alan Koch at Gold Coast Orchids, CA
Martin Motes of Motes Orchids, FL
Dave Off of Waldor Orchids, NJ
Ron Midgett of New Earth Orchids, NM

I have noticed that the phals that Ikea sell have a high tendency to produce mutated growths.

Maybye ask where Ikea source theirs from since that is the most likely vendor to be doing it from what I have seen although I always suspected it was due to chemicals, not irradiation.

The big orchid nurseries keep their secrets to themselves leaving the hobbyists to speculate what they have ended up buying.

In all likelihood, they are overdosed with synthetic auxins to stimulate root growth. Flower deformation is a well-established side-effect of overuse.

I've grown orchids for nearly 30 years and have never heard of anyone using radiation to produce mutations.

Additionally, I've never heard of positive mutations coming from irradiation, save for superheroes in comic books! It seems like irradiation causes uncontrolled and unpredictable mutations at various locations in the genome, which is not desirable for a breeder. Compare this with chemical treatment (e.g. cochicine) which is readily available, scientifically proven for decades, and has a predicable outcome (i.e. increasing the entire chromosome count as opposed to mutating a few random genes) and you can start to understand why radiation isn't likely used. I also have to assume purchasing and storing radioactive materials is expensive, as is the safety equipment and permits required to use the materials.

Is this a helpful link? Brief Look at Polyploidy

The page is a bit outdated but the Philippine Nuclear Research Institute (PNRI) apparently had such a research project back in 2007-2015: "Mutation Breeding of Priority Agricultural Crops: Component 1 – Ornamentals"

PNRI Food and Agriculture

Found this with a quick Google search: https://www.osti.gov/etdeweb/servlets/purl/20154023

Does National Geographic not have contacts available to ask around and figure out who would be doing this sort of thing? It strikes me that mutating orchids with radiation would require a source of radiation, which the average person probably doesn't have the desire or the ability to legally and safely get. So you'd probably want to look at commercial labs and non-home scientists.

As far as mutations being beneficial, plants are a bit hardier against random mutations than animals, simply because they have less that can go wrong. You don't have to worry about tumor growth very much if you're a plant (that's what burls are, after all), and you certainly don't have to worry about whether or not your heart or lungs work properly. Plants are simpler.

That is true. If we use ionising type radiation to irradiate orchids, we could also possibly end up irradiating ourselves - which wouldn't be a good thing. I haven't heard of anybody purposely using radiation to induce mutations in orchids too.

Solar irradation is one thing. And then there's x-rays, and then the uranium etc stuff.

and microwave irradiation. we’ve got one of those!

i smell an experiment....or maybe that’s just my popcorn... :biggrin:

Microwave cooking the orchid is a nice idea. Maybe 1 minute (instant start mode) hehehe